Box Score (PDF)

LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Torrie Huk (Milford, Del.) found the back of the cage in the 87th minute to complete her hat trick and lift the UMass Lowell field hockey team (3-1) to a 4-3, double-overtime victory against Columbia (1-2) on Friday night at Wicked Blue Field.
 
"This was a great hockey game," said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "Watching some of Columbia's video and how they've been competing, we knew it was going to be an equal matchup. To go into double overtime, it's always one of those heart-thumping experiences, but I thought we had a good plan in place and performed well from start to finish."
 
With the decision, the River Hawks improve to 3-0 at home for the first time since 2015. Huk's performance marked the second hat trick of her career. Freshman Grace Davis (Waterloo, Ontario) also scored in the decision, while classmate Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) tallied a team-best two assists.
 
Junior goalkeeper Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) registered three saves on the night, all of which came in overtime with one inside the final second of the first extra period to keep the game alive.
 
Both overtimes were tightly-contested, as Columbia took a slight, 5-4 edge in shots. However, the game-winner came with just over three minutes remaining in the second when Berger sent a pass into the circle for Huk, whose turn-around shot beat the opposing goalkeeper to the lower corner.   
 
Huk first opened the scoring for either side in just the fourth minute of action, tipping a pass from junior Anouk Lalande (Brussels, Belgium) up into the top of the cage before colliding with the keeper to give her squad a 1-0 lead.
 
Columbia's put the pressure on, though, erasing the difference on a goal by Katie Koester in the 19th minute and taking a 2-1 advantage in the 27th minute on a rebound by Brooke Gasser.
 
Less than two minutes into the second half, the score was knotted again, thanks to a hard slap shot from Davis. The visitors pulled back in front in the 62nd minute, but the River Hawks regrouped in a timeout and Huk put a one-timer on target in the 67th minute, causing a 3-3 stalemate and forcing overtime.
 
The all-time series between UMass Lowell and Columbia is now tied, 1-1. The River Hawks return to action next weekend at Fairfield on Saturday, September 15 beginning at 12 p.m.